Red Dirt Dreaming Part One - The Kimberley

The battle is on to decide the future of the Kimberley—a future of mining wealth or a future of pristine wilderness? WA’s Pilbara region might be driving the Australian economy, but the pressure is on to exploit the rich resources of the pristine Kimberley.

James Price Point just north of Broome was infamously described by the WA Premier Colin Barnett as 'an unremarkable piece of coastline.' It is the proposed site of a precinct to process and ship the gas piped from the offshore Browse Basin. It’s also a site rich in natural beauty and Aboriginal cultural heritage.

The battle over James Price Point has divided the community, split families and broken long friendships. Opponents say it will devastate an environmentally sensitive and stunning piece of coastline and import all the social problems of the fly-in fly-out mining communities of the Pilbara. Supporters say it will bring much-needed jobs and money to the region.

For the Goolarabooloo/Jabirr Jabirr traditional owners of the land, the gas precinct going ahead is worth $1.3 billion. It’s money they desperately need to deal with serious housing, education and health issues in the community.

The West Kimberley is rich in natural resources—bauxite, nickel, copper, oil, uranium, coal and gas—and mining exploration has increased 500 per cent in the past five years. It’s feared the proposed development at James Price Point will be the 'thin end of the wedge', that the infrastructure will open up one of the world’s most pristine wildernesses to resource development.

Red Dirt Dreaming encapsulates all the conflict and complexity of resource extraction versus environment, community and economic independence for Aboriginal people. Red Dirt Dreaming Part Two - The Pilbara